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Obama’s speech to a Republican-controlled Congress to work out a bi-partisan approach to prescription drug abuse demonstrates a sense of urgency that our politicians at the federal level need to do more to address this issue.

Cannabis on the other-hand, widely considered much safer than opioids, is still a Class I substance under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) and federally illegal. However, there is scientific evidence that cannabis has benefits for treating certain instances of:

Neuropathic pain

Glaucoma

MS spasticity and central pain

Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting

In many cases cannabis, or yet-to-be-developed cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals, could potentially be a safer alternative than opioids.

While I applaud President Obama’s stance on prescription drug abuse, I think it is time that this administration also take a stance on the benefits of cannabis by supporting the declassification of cannabis from the CSA and allowing individuals States to implement there own state-legal cannabis laws without concern of federal law conflict. Such a step would not only provide some much needed clarity for non-medical cannabis businesses (such as industrial hemp), but would also accelerate the progress of cannabis medical studies and the development of treatments – treatments that could prove to be be safer alternatives to current opioid applications.

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